The fifth season of Game of Thrones is currently filming in Europe, as you may recall from the recent hubbub over a controversial nude scene featuring Lena Headey. “Yes, but isn’t Kristian Nairn, who plays Hodor, currently touring Australia with his Rave of Thrones DJ tour?” you ask. “Shouldn’t he be, like, in Europe, where the cameras are?”

He might mean ‘we’ as in he and Ellie Kendrick who plays Meera. I guess they don’t really need Hodor as Bran in no longer travelling – he’s reached the cave. I think season 5 will have scenes just between him and the three eyed crow with him learning how to do greenseeing.

I think because there are no stakes involved with Bran’s scenes. Everyone else is involved in some gigantic piece of the “game,” so to speak. Bran is off on his own doing his own thing, and it’s not nearly as compelling relative to the other story lines. The one exception is probably Arya, but she’s arguably a more compelling character, PLUS she had the Hound to banter with.

Oh shit, so no Bran/Hodor at all this season? Shit was starting to get really interesting with them and I was eager to see their adventures beyond book 5 when he (presumably) starts getting all Professor X with the heart trees. This is not a good sign.

SPOILERS
He defeats the Mountain easily, then bitch-slaps Tywin Lannister, grabs Tyrion onto a white stallion, and rides across the sea to Mereen, where he seduces Daenerys, kills Daario, and tames all three dragons, which he rides simultaneously back to Kings Landing and roasts Cersei alive. Then he and Dany and Margaery form a triumverate and rule Westeros after he adopts Jon Snow and Hodor.
I…I may be remembering that wrong.

Also, I wonder if they’ll do the same with Sansa’s storyline. SPOILER ALERT: the next two books of her storyline can be summed up with “Sansa heads downstairs.” Although to be fair, she wasn’t in ADwD.

I’m casually doing a reread on the series (finished GoT, about to start CoK), and I’m told by a buddy that FfC and DwD are infinitely better the second time through. So basically, I accept your opinion 100%.

If you are doing a re-read or just reading for the first time, google Ball of Beasts. Someone took the chapters of Feast and Dragons and spliced them together chronologically. It’s a MUCH better read and allows you to appreciate Dorne& the Greyjoys as it’s mixed with the other characters too.